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Sunday, March 4

Two Dishes in One: Curried Cauliflower and White Bean and Cauliflower Dip

I've been getting a free subscription to Everyday Food with my points from Recyclebank (where recycling gets you points you can use for discounts at restaurants, for free items, for points to donate money to greening programs at schools, etc.) and though I don't love all the advertising, I do love the issues like this one showing easy ways to save money by wasting less food, buying in bulk and cooking in batches. They have a feature where they give you a menu for a week that shows how you can use the leftovers to make new dishes.

I saw this curry chickpea recipe had cauliflower in it, and so did the white bean dip from the previous issue, so I made them both in one night.

For some reason the recipe is not on their website, but it is pretty easy. One can of drained and rinsed white beans, lemon zest and 1 tbsp. lemon juice, 1/4 cup hot water, 1 cup roasted cauliflower, 5 cloves of roasted garlic, with some salt and pepper to taste.

First, I chopped up the cauliflower and tossed it in a bowl with about 2 tbsp. olive oil, drizzled in layers and tossed with tongs. I spread them on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil and roasted for 25 minutes at 375 degrees. In another pan I roasted the chopped tomatoes for the curry.

Following the magazine's curry recipe, in a big pot I cooked the onions, garlic, added the chickpeas, tomatoes, spices and I added some tumeric and cumin that wasn't called for. I also cooked up some rice mixed with barley since that was what I had on hand.

While the curry simmered, I started adding ingredients to the blender (no food processor here), making sure to add liquids first so it doesn't get all jammed up. I added them all, skipping the roasted garlic for some precut garlic marinade we had in the fridge.

In about 5 minutes the dip was ready to go, with some flavor adjustments on the salt and pepper.

The curry came out great, though mild, so you might want to add some cayanne or a spicier curry mix if you like more heat. It will make for good leftovers throughout the week and it seems like a good potluck dish option.